Apsan Park (앞산공원)

Aside from KNU, another favorite place in Daegu would be Apsan Park. I've been here several times already, in several seasons (Autumn, Winter, and Summer). I remember the first time I came here in 2011 (see here). It was my first autumn experience and the foliage was either brown, red, or yellow. I came back in the summer of 2012 with a friend, then in the winter of 2013 with my family (see here), and in the autumn of 2014 with my travel buddy (see here). Now, on my fifth time, it was the summer of 2016.

It was still the same. I was greeted with lush greenery, numerous walking trails, and my favorite way of transportation going up the mountain, the cable car.

It was still summer but some maple leaves were a little excited about autumn.

I was literally on top of the world. It felt good but there's something more... I love solitude and really value my me-time but for some reason, in that moment while at the peak of Apsan, I felt a pinch of sadness. So, I guess, what I get from this experience -traveling on my own- is that it's liberating and enriching but at some point, it gets a little lonely, especially when going to places you've been to before with the people you love. But ultimately, it's still worth it and I'd do it over again.

Throwback: Sights and Scenes Around KNU

Even though I live in a tropical country, the months of December to February are pleasantly cold. And speaking of cold, I am currently nursing cough and cold. It's a bit crazy here, actually. There are days when it's rainy and so cold, then suddenly, the next day, the sun is shining so bright. As a consequence, my immune system is kind of lost and confused. He he.

I remember I still haven't finished up posting about my trip to South Korea last August. Sorry for being slow in the blogging department. So, here it goes:

After a day of exploring Busan, I traveled to Daegu the next day. As I said in my previous posts, Daegu will always be my home away from home. Every time I go to South Korea, I always make it a point to visit Daegu. And the first on my list is none other than Kyungpook National University (KNU), my alma mater during my Master's. The following are some of the sights and scenes around the campus.

KNU's North Gate

Went to my former laboratory. Finally got to meet my professor again.

This used to be my daily path from laboratory to the apartment.

Just couldn't resist taking a pic of this beautiful rose

KNU's Global Plaza

Manicured lawn and old-style Main Admin. Building. Such a lovely, lovely sight!

Even if it's already months, I still feel like all these just happened yesterday. And I'm suddenly missing KNU.

I still have lots of pics and I'll try to upload them next time.

Meanwhile, I'm off to buy myself some multivitamins.

Have a great and blessed week ahead dear readers! =)

Bonjour

After a day of hopping in and hopping off in buses and going to different places, a well-deserved and hearty meal is a must for a tired traveler like me. For my second and last night in Busan, I had dinner with my roommate, a fellow solo traveler who is from France.

doing some saranghae pose the shop owner taught us

She is a vegetarian and I, well, I was craving for bulgogi (meat). She had soup and veggies while I had some chit chat with the shop owner bargaining for this and that. In Korea, if you go to bulgogi restaurants/canteens, there is a minimum amount of meat you can order. But since I was the only one eating bulgogi, that minimum order was too much for me. I think that minimum order can serve up to three people. After some discussion using my rusty Korean speaking skills, we came to an arrangement. In the end, I paid 20,000 won for my order. If I convert that to Philippine peso, it's about 1,000 pesos...Yes, 1000 pesos for just one meal! It's way expensive for me but then again, I was in Korea, so I'll just let it pass.

Having too many meat and being a slow eater, it took about two hours for me to finish (and I still got a few leftovers). But it's also nice because I got to talk to my newfound friend. We talked about so many stuff, from our personal lives to our perception of Korea and Koreans to politics. Since she only had a very light meal, we went to a nearby restaurant. We, then, continued our conversation over a glass of mekju (beer). And hey, I seriously missed the beer in Korea! It's light and refreshing.

It's almost midnight when we decided to go back to the guesthouse. It was a beautiful day indeed - being able to see Busan and meeting a newfound friend!

P.S. We exchange some phrases in our local language and I learned something new, French is so difficult! I don't know where they get a particular sound and how they execute it. Is it from the throat??? I know I sound silly but French is just a different level of speaking for me. Anyway, Bonjour!

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (해동 용궁사)

It was my third time going to Busan but it's my first time visiting the the breathtaking Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. It is located on the coast of the north eastern part of Busan. Since most temples in Korea are located in the mountains, rarely do you see a temple along the shore, so this is one of the very few finds. Even if you're not a Buddhist, it's perfect for people who just want to reflect. However, please take note that there are a lot of tourists coming here so you just have to find a spot if you want some peace and quiet.

Along the way, I found some people stacking beach stones.

So here's the view from afar. According to the site Imagine your Korea, the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple was first built in 1376 by the great Buddhist teacher Naong during the Goryeo Dynasty.

wishing well

They say one of your wishes will come true. Got two, so I'm really hoping one of them (or both) will be granted in the near future.

Haesu Gwaneum Daebul

Haesu Gwaneum Daebul (Seawater Great Goddess Buddha), Daeungjeon Main Sanctuary, Yongwangdang Shrine, Gulbeop Buddhist Sanctum (enclosed in a cave), and a three-story pagoda with four lions can all be seen looking out over the ocean. The four lions symbolize joy, anger, sadness, and happiness. The main sanctuary of the temple was reconstructed in 1970.

Here are some more lovely pictures:

view from the top

Since I'm alone and shy of asking other people to take photos of me, I just placed my cam somewhere and put on the self-timer. Haha!

Good Morning Busan

Can I just let the pictures speak for themselves?

View from my window

Breakfast of champions

So, before hopping on a tourist bust, I decided to take a stroll at the Gwangalli beach first. Walking on the sand, there's something about it that made me feel at ease.


 And the sea breeze...


Oh, suddenly, I wanted to live near the beach.

Annyeonghaseyo Korea

I have been to this beautiful country several times already. It even became my home for two years. But my recent visit was something of a "first" for me. (One of my goals before turning thirty was to travel alone.) On the night of the 4th of August, I embarked on my first solo trip. I have booked this trip several months ago, so you can just imagine the excitement when the day finally arrived. This also happens to be the trip where I got the cheapest promo for my plane ticket (P3,600 or $72 back and forth already). Few days before leaving though, I was too nervous for the very same reason that I was excited... This is my first time traveling alone and I want to make sure that everything will be fine, that I will be safe, that I'll be able to meet new people, and, pretty much, just enjoy every moment of it.

While I was on the plane, majority of the passengers were Koreans and only a handful were Filipinos. I don't know the exact reason but I felt like I was really all alone at that moment. Add to the fact that I was even seated next to a young, Korean couple. So the best thing to do was just sleep. Haha! Then, there was a game in the plane. The stewardess ask some fun questions about the expressions or things millenials say and I got to answer one of them. They asked about the meaning of LOL, TBH, among other things. How fun was that? A Korean lady, seating opposite to me, asked me about those things. She's genuinely interested and it was nice talking and explaining all those stuff to her. When we arrived in Busan, we talked some more while in the bus going to the airport. She just had a vacation in the Philippines. She's very friendly and I couldn't believe I've met and talked to a new person on my first night in Korea.

Shortly before midnight, I arrived in my guesthouse, located in Gwangali Beach. I hadn't had dinner yet but the first thing that I did after putting all my things in my room was to go to the beach, which is just opposite of the guesthouse. I couldn't believe I made it. Standing, with the sand on my feet, err, shoes, seeing the beautiful surroundings, inhaling the fresh summer breeze..it was a perfect welcoming moment.

Annyeonghaseyo Korea!

Past midnight, I had my dinner at a coffee shop (dinner = sandwich).

Did a bit of walking in the surrounding area before going back to my room located on the 9th floor. The walls of the elevator were transparent so while going up, I could see the beach and the people and the the Gwangan bridge full of lights. Everything seemed so serene from up above and there I was, ready to take a deep slumber in preparation for tomorrow's adventure.

Solo Traveler

Here's a compilation of the videos I took during my first solo adventure last August.

More details to come soon! ♥

N Seoul Tower

After a day of non-stop walking, my friend, Shayne, treated me to N Seoul Tower (also known as Namsan Tower and Seoul Tower). Hihi, the best things in life are free! We're lucky that our guest house is just a few blocks away from the cable car station. When we reached the top, we were greeted by the breathtaking view of Seoul and its city lights. There's no better way to spend our last night in Korea than relaxing and just enjoying the view of the city. It felt like I'm on top the world!

There's also the famous love locks, where couples put a padlock (w/ their names, messages, etc.) on the fences. It looks cute but it's really not my thing. (Possibly because I still have no one to share a lock with. Haha!) Nevertheless, I still took some photos of it.

It was such a lovely night. Perfect way to end a very tiring day. Perfect way to say Thank you, Seoul and to bid Goodbye and to hope that I'll see you again someday.